1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved machine with which one may collate sheet material from each of a plurality of individual groups of sheet material to form a set or a plurality of sets including one sheet from each of the groups. More particularly, the present invention provides a machine whereby one may collate sheet material to form sets, each of which includes at least and only one sheet from each of a plurality of individual groups.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The known prior art machines of the class to which the present invention appertains includes a number of patents relating to collating machines comprising a plurality of feed stations including means for sensing defective feeding at any given feed station and deactivating feeding downstream therefrom, as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,738 of Glaser et al and U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,246 of Elia et al.
Other known prior art of interest includes U.S. Pat. No. 3,559,982 of Eppers, which relates to a collating machine relying upon photoelectric-sensing means to sense feeding more than one sheet of material at any one station in any cycle and a spring contact slide device to sense the absence of a sheet fed during a cycle, of which either sensed condition will effect shutting down the machine. While the Eppers machine may appear neat in theory, operability thereof does not appear to be entirely clear.